Tuesday, August 25, 1998

BVSCA MEMBERSHIP MEETING 7:30 P.M.

Meeting at the National Rural Electric Association (NRECA), 4301 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia, 22203-1860, Ellipse Conference Center (Room CC2), Free Parking for Membership Meeting, Garage Entry Up to 8:00 P.M. (See Details Below)

1. Neighborhood Conservation (NC) Project Prioritization. Recently, BVSCA Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee (NCAC) Representative DeAndra Beck and Alternate NCAC Representative Theresa Smith met with County NC staff Chris Nixon and Robert Collins to discuss options for submitting NC funding proposals in time for the September 1998 deadline. At our next Membership Meeting on Tuesday, August 25, 1998, NCAC Representative Beck will present these options and provide written materials at the meeting. These options include traffic calming, curb and gutter improvement, park upgrades, and beautification measures, such as neighborhood signs. We will be discussing prioritization of potential neighborhood improvement projects, including scope and location of improvements, as well as discussing a strategy for the Association's submission of proposals. Members are encouraged to attend and express your views. Action Item 1. (7:30 to 8:15 p.m.).

2. Improvements to the Ballston Metro. BVSCA Executive Committee members have learned that the staff at the Arlington Department of Public Works (DPW) has been developing different options for using funds provided by LCI and the Nature Conservancy to upgrade access to the Ballston Metro. Preliminary plans include a potential west entrance to the metro near the intersection of Glebe and N. Fairfax roads and possibly a high-speed elevator to replace the existing elevator at the north entrance of the station (N. Stuart and N. Fairfax, near the new Nature Conservancy building). However, staff have been reluctant to consider other options for the north entrance of the metro station. We will discuss these options and develop a recommended option for the County staff. Action Item 2. (8:15 to 8:45 p.m.).

3. Coordination with Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). At our Executive Committee meeting on July 28, 1998, the Executive Committee members requested that BVSCA President Ragland follow-up with DEQ to request a public meeting concerning the status of actions taken since 1994 to remedy reported contamination of the soil and groundwater near the vicinity of the former Exxon station at 3444 North Washington Boulevard. This environmental issue was previously reported in BVSCA Newsletters dated April 1994, July 1994, and October 1994. (For details, please visit http://www.bvsca.org/april94.html, http://www.bvsca.org/jul94.html, and http://www.bvsca.org/oct94.html.)

BVSCA President Ragland will briefly describe the highlights of his discussion with DEQ on this matter and ascertain when the Membership would like to have a detailed information briefing by DEQ and Exxon on this matter. Based on discussions with DEQ staff, remediation actions at this site are expected to continue for up to two more years before this matter is closed. Currently, Exxon is re-assessing some of their risk assumptions in response to FDIC's input concerning proposed remediation changes. Exxon has previously submitted nine(9) Quarterly Monitoring Reports concerning their remediation efforts. The most recent Quarterly Monitoring Report on file is dated May 21, 1998. DEQ was receptive to our inquiry about a possible information briefing, and welcomes BVSCA members and residents to review their case file on this matter, Case File #PC84-0059, at the DEQ Northern Virginia Regional Office. The Regional Office is open to the public on Wednesdays each week from 8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and is located at 13901 Crown Court, Woodbridge, VA. Action Item 3. (8:45 to 9:00 p.m.). Membership Meeting Adjournment (no later than 9:15 p.m.).

1998-'99 Membership Meeting Schedule. Monthly Membership Meetings of the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association are scheduled at the National Rural Electric Association (NRECA), 4301 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia, Ellipse Conference Center (Room CC1 except as noted) for the following Tuesday evenings: 9/29, 10/27, and 11/24/98. For your information, NRECA provides free garage access for one hour at NRECA's underground parking garage for participants attending the BVSCA Membership Meeting (30 minutes prior, to 30 minutes following, the starting time of our meeting). The garage's automatic exit device allows exit-only traffic after the garage is closed. BVSCA participants should be prepared to state they are attending the BVSCA Membership Meeting in order to receive free parking. Members should be advised that the garage will be accessible only up to 8:00 p.m., 30 minutes following the 7:30 p.m. starting time of our Membership Meeting, and that once the garage closes vehicles will still be able to exit the garage. Access to the Conference Room will be provided at 7:00 p.m.; the room must be completely vacated no later than 9:30 p.m. Also, general cleaning of the room is the responsibility of BVSCA.

At the Tuesday, September 29, 1998, Membership Meeting, the Association has invited representatives of the site plan applicant for the "Arlington Gateway" project to return for another presentation on their proposed project. At the Site Plan Review Subcommittee Meeting on August 18, questions and concerns were expressed about the design of the proposed buildings, the amount of proposed surface parking, the number of proposed parking spaces, among other items. In response, the site plan applicant plans to make a number of changes to the proposed project, including changes to the buildings' design. At this meeting, BVSCA NCAC Representative DeAndra Beck, BVSCA Secretary David Ryan, and BVSCA Member Bill Jackson, participated in the discussion of the proposed site plan, including coordinating our members' views from our June Membership Meeting. The proposed site plan is scheduled to go before the Planning Commission on October 5 and the County Board on October 17.

At the September 29, 1998, Membership Meeting, the Association has also invited representatives of the site plan applicant for the "Library Courts" project to return for another presentation on their proposed project. At the County Board meeting of July 11, the Board approved the site plan applicant's request for deferral on their proposed site plan application for the Library Courts Site Plan, SP #32, until the County Board meeting of October 17. This item is scheduled to be heard by the Planning Commission on October 5. It is also scheduled to be heard by the Site Plan Review Subcommittee, beginning at 8:30 p.m., on August 25, Rooms C & D, Lobby Level, 2100 Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22201.

Also, make plans to attend the Association's Candidates Night Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, 1998, at 7:30 p.m., at the Ellipse Conference Center (Room CC1) of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) building, 4301 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia. Our Candidates Night Meetings and Membership Meetings are open to the public. We have planned two candidate sessions this year, beginning with (1) the Arlington County Board candidates, at 7:30 p.m., and (2) the Congressional candidates from the Commonwealth of Virginia's 8th Congressional District, at approximately 8:30 p.m. Each candidate session will be limited to one hour. The candidates will have up to five minutes for opening statements, followed by questions from the audience. In order to promote increased public participation, individual questions will be limited to 45 seconds and candidate responses will be limited to 3 minutes for each question. The first three questions for each session will be from BVSCA members, followed by questions from non-members or members attending the meeting.

BVSCA Announcements: Executive Committee Appoints Alternate Delegate to the Arlington County Civic Federation. On July 28, 1998, the Executive Committee appointed Valerie Preiss to fill an Alternate Delegate vacancy to the Civic Federation. Pursuant to the BVSCA By-Laws, Article IV. Officers, Section 4. Vacancies, "In the event that any office or other elected executive post becomes vacant, the Executive Committee shall appoint any qualified member to serve until a successor is elected." The Association's Civic Federation Delegates for the 1998-1999 Membership Year are: John Massoud, Ernest Ragland, David Ryan, and Rohan Samaraweera. The Alternate Delegates are: DeAndra Beck, Richard Ellis, and Valerie Preiss.

Executive Committee Meeting on Tuesday, September 8, 1998. Our next Executive Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, 1998, at 7:30 p.m., at the Ballston Park Condominium Community Meeting Room, 1050 N. Stuart Street, Arlington, VA. The first item is a presentation on the proposed solution to the deteriorating brick wall, which surrounds the parking lot at the Giant-Virginia Square Food store. The second item is a presentation by the site plan applicant on the proposed design changes to the Library Courts project, which is scheduled to begin at approximately 8:15 p.m. This meeting is open to BVSCA Members.

Community Policing and Working Out Neighborhood Problems. The Association has received a special invitation for one or more interested BVSCA members to attend an upcoming meeting on Community Policing and Working Out Neighborhood Problems, sponsored by the International County Managers and City Managers Association (ICMA), at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, on Thursday, August 27, and Friday, August 28. Each day, the meetings begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. Breakfast and lunch will be included at no charge to those individuals, who are approved and attend the session. If interested, or need more information, please contact Lt. Michelle Peralta, Police District II, on Tuesday, August 25 at (703) 228-4299.

Virginia Square Plaza Site Plan, SP #293 -- Update. At the County Board Meeting of July 11, the Virginia Square Plaza site plan was deferred to the Board meeting of September 12. The Planning Commission has also requested another hearing on this site plan, on August 31, due to a "significant change in the site plan" subsequent to their prior hearing on the subject. This "significant change" is the proposed reduction in visitor parking spaces from 30 to 15 that was agreed to by staff, and presented in the County Manager's Letter of Recommendation for Agenda Item 15. A. and B., Rezoning & Site Plan Amendment Request, for premises known as 809 North Street, July 11 County Board meeting. BVSCA Members are encouraged to attend these County public hearings and express your views. The Association has previously expressed strong concern about the lack of adequate visitor parking proposed for this 9-story residential project, especially the lack of surface short-term visitor parking. In an e-mail to the Arlington County Board on July 11, 1998, BVSCA President Ragland said To propose "NO"short term surface visitor parking for 226 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment units was most unacceptable to our Association. Also, he said that we do not agree with the applicant's request to reduce the number of visitor parking spaces from "30 to 15" to accommodate long term visitors, such as overnight guests, weekend guests, and dinner guests. Condition #29 of the existing site plan that was approved by the County Board in 1991 included a parking garage connection between the residential and the office building across the street. This condition provided for 30 visitor parking spaces and at a minimum this number of spaces should be required.

BVSCA Mailing List. For BVSCA members, who would like to subscribe, send the command "subscribe" to BVSCA-L-request@rootsweb.com. After subscribing, detailed instructions will be sent concerning how to unsubscribe, how to change to digest mode, how to change to no-mail mode, how to post a message so everyone on the mailing list receives it, and other information. The Association's web site is "http://www.bvsca.org" and e-mail address is "bvsca@dgs.dgsys.com." Our back-up web site is: "http://www2.dgsys.com/~bvsca."

Volunteer Needed to Assist Police District II. The Commander for Police District II, Captain Thomas Hoffmann, needs a volunteer computer expert to assist Police District II in preparing a monthly local major crime report and work on the District Newsletter. If interested, please contact Captain Hoffmann at (703) 228-4327, or email: thoffm@co.arlington.va.us.